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12.03.2011

Primary Saturday: Syncopation and The Rain

Practice was irregular throughout the two weeks at my parents house in chilly, rural Wisconsin. It's always difficult to keep up the routine during travel, but even more so when that travel involves reuniting with family and friends I have the fortune to visit just once or twice a year. Old habits take over and I find myself in a string of big, hearty meals, long, lazy afternoons, and some very late wine-soaked nights.

Add to that a touch of recklessness and a big ol' schmear of insomnia and you'll understand that practice was necessarily whittled down to the essential.

No regrets. But two weeks of debauchery bookeneded by a pair of 20-hour drives has taken its toll. The dog and I returned to Austin Thursday. Jet lagged from the drive (is that even possible?), I failed to summon the energy Friday to do more than a minimal practice (10 Surya and the final 3), so did my full Primary today. It was quite a shock.

I felt comically out of sync. No jump backs. Jump throughs were hit or miss. No binding in Marichyasana D. I've had a tension headache since we hit the road on Wednesday, somehow related to the muscle pull I inflicted upon myself shortly after my arrival in the Midwest. The whole right neck/upper back/shoulder area is afflicted, but I'm surprised the headache hasn't faded yet, especially now that I've had a chance to sleep and do my practice. I am still using the arnica cream, which does seem to have some effect on my range of motion without discomfort but, overall, I am not impressed with its performance.

The day is grey and rainy here which makes it especially hard to get moving. Almost failed to drag myself away from my favorite chair and a good book, but I'm glad I practiced. Intermediate will be interesting tomorrow.

4 comments:

Thanks so much for your post - always nice to hear about how other people try to keep up the regular practice over holiday season. At least I'm not the only one struggling :)I've been using arnica cream as well but found that sometimes tiger balm helps too (particularly the red one which is for muscle aches).Btw, really love your blog!

Hi andrealeber - This is always the hardest time of year for me to stay on track. The shift to cold-weather practice is tough, and family obligations tend to take over. But I do what I can, when I can and try to be kind to myself along the way.

Anon - Somehow, I've convinced myself that alcohol is not an impediment to my practice. I do enjoy a beer or two in the evenings, and it really doesn't seems to bother me much. It's the big meals that are bringing me down...

Disclaimer

I am a yoga teacher and therapist in training, I am not a medical professional. It is your responsibility to seek the professional opinion of a qualified physician before beginning a yoga practice or attempting to significantly alter your diet or lifestyle.